The Cherry Orchard will be broadcast live to cinemas around the world on 30 June, including South Africa, as part of the National Theatre Live initiative

The Cherry Orchard, adapted by Andrew Upton and directed by Howard Davies, is the next theatre production to be included as part of National Theatre Live, an initiative which sees performances staged at the National Theatre on Southbank filmed live in high definition, and broadcast via satellite to over 400 cinemas and performing arts venues around the UK and the world.

Zoe Wanamaker, probably most easily recognised as Susan Harper in the award-winning sitcom, My Family, takes the lead role in Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov’s final, and most celebrated play.

Photo: Catherine Ashmore

Set in Russia at the start of the 20th century, The Cherry Orchard captures the profound change in Russia’s socio-economic history; the demise of the aristocracy and the rise of the middle class.

Wanamaker is superb as the paradoxical Ranyevskaya, a woman who returns to her estate outside Moscow after ten years abroad.

Her wealth is fading, as is her family’s importance, and the financially frivolous yet emotionally astute Ranyevskaya and her brother must decide on the fate of their beloved home, and cherry orchard.

Combining bouts of exuberance and humour with evocative sadness, The Cherry Orchard and its outstanding cast – including Kenneth Cranham and James Laurenson – bring the effects of Russia’s social change to light. But be warned; the production sits close on three hours, and those who are aficionados of Russian drama may be disappointed by Upton’s rather modern version.

The Cherry Orchard will be broadcast live on 30 June at numerous venues in both the UK and South Africa including The Odeon in Wimbledon, the Clapham Picturehouse, and Ster Kinekor Cinema Nouveau centres in Cape Town and Johannesburg.